


Three Is Better

by samandbucky



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alpha Steve Rogers, Alpha Tony Stark, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Nightmares, Omega Clint Barton
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:28:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22994722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samandbucky/pseuds/samandbucky
Summary: Nick Fury thinks Clint's life will be better if he has an alpha, so he seeks out help from two alpha's who are already married. Tony is completely against the idea, and it's Steve's job to convince him that maybe having an omega around won't be so bad after all.
Relationships: Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton/Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 3
Kudos: 105





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i am clint/steve/tony stan #1 in case you haven't noticed

Tony sighs as he pushes the files away from him, looking up at Fury. “You want me and Steve to bond with an omega who doesn’t like to be around alpha’s? And, just how is that supposed to work?” He asks, feeling frustrated with the situation. “You seem to be forgetting that me and Steve are already married, and we’re perfectly happy continuing our lives without an omega in it.”

“Agent Barton is a wonderful addition to the SHIELD team. One of our very best, in fact. Well trained,” Fury begins. “I just think that his life would be better if he had an alpha to look after him. A kind alpha. Agent Barton has had many alpha’s throughout his life, but they haven’t all been too kind to him, which is unfortunate. We’re trying to show him that there are still good alpha’s out there, including you and Steve.”

“I’m sorry that Barton has dealt with these shitty alpha’s, but it’s not my problem,” Tony argues. He looks over when the door opens, and sighs in relief when he sees his husband walking through the door. “Finally! You’re here. Steve. You’ve heard about this? Tell Fury how ridiculous this all sounds.”

“Actually-” Steve begins, biting his lip when Tony groans and sinks into his chair. “Tony, hear me out!”

“No!” Tony sits up again. “I don’t want a bloody omega. Am I suddenly not good enough for you, Cap?”

“Tony, calm down, that’s not it at all. I don’t want to add an omega to our relationship either,”

“Oh,” Tony mumbles. He frowns as he looks up at Steve. “I’m confused?”

Steve sighs, walking over to Tony and pulling the omega’s files closer to them again. “It’s terrible, right? No omega should ever have to go through what he’s gone through. I’m not saying we bond with him, but maybe we can bring him into our home. Work with him. I’d like to think we aren’t terrible alpha’s…”

Tony looks over at Fury and glares at him. “You made it sound like we _had_ to bond with him!”

“I’d prefer it if you _did_ bond with him, but I cannot force you to do that, Stark. I’m not that cruel,” Fury says. “However, what Steve is offering is better than nothing. But, you should know. Agent Barton is not going to suddenly be friends with you overnight. It’s going to take a lot of work. A lot of patience.”

Tony looks over at Steve. “You’re sure you want to do this, Steve?”

Steve nods. “I trust me and you to get him to where he needs to be, so he can have a better life,” he says. “We’ve got good people around us too. I think we should do it.”

Tony rolls his eyes, and then throws his hands up in surrender. “Fine. Whatever,” he stands up. “But, just because he’s an omega living in _my_ home, does not mean _anything_. That understood, Fury?”

Fury chuckles. “Sure, Stark. Whatever helps you sleep at night,” he says. “I’ll get Agent Barton ready, and we’ll meet you at the tower. Romanov might be with us. Just a fair warning.”

“Why? What does Natasha have to do with any of this?” Steve asks, frowning.

“She seems to be the only one that Barton trusts. She’s a beta, so it makes sense, I suppose,” Fury says. “She’ll be able to calm him if he starts having a panic attack. That happens often, fair warning.”

“Not anything I’m not used to,” Tony mumbles, before looking at Steve. “Can we go?”

“In a second. I want to talk to Fury before we leave,” Steve says.

Tony rolls his eyes. He grabs Agent Barton’s files, and then he storms out of the room, leaving Steve alone with Director Fury. Steve sighs, running a hand through his hair.

“I don’t think this is going to end how you want it to, Sir,” Steve says.

“You’ll have to convince him then, Rogers,” Fury says. “Omega’s aren’t so bad…”

“I don’t know why Tony is so against bonding with an omega. As far as I’m concerned, he’s always been with alpha’s and beta’s. Maybe it has something to do with his dad. I don’t know. It’s just… once Tony makes up his mind, it’s hard to change it. Honestly, I’m not even sure this omega is worth all this. But, Agent Barton is welcome to stay at the tower for however long you need him to stay.”

“We’ll see about that,” Fury says, walking out of the room without saying another word to Steve.

Steve groans, and then he turns and walks out of the room as well. He meets up with Tony, who’s already waiting for him in their car. Steve gets in, and shuts the door, putting his seat belt on.

“What were you talking with Fury about?” Tony asks, not looking up from his phone.

“Nothing important,” Steve says, biting his lip slightly. “Just some stuff about Agent Barton.” He looks over at Tony and sighs. “I don’t know why you’re so heated about this. It’ll be fine, Tony.”

“This is a trick,” Tony argues, looking up at Steve. “He’s trying to get us to bond with him. It’s not happening. We’re perfectly fine the way we are. We’ve gone two years without having an omega.”

“I know,” Steve reaches over and grabs Tony’s hand. “This is just an omega coming to live in our home. We just have to make sure he’s being taken care of, like Fury asked. Help him see alpha’s aren’t bad. Tony, please. I know you’re upset with Fury, but don’t take your anger out on this omega.”

“What did you think I was going to do?” Tony asks, scoffing. “I’m not blaming the omega. I’m sure he’s probably even less happy about this than we are. He doesn’t like alpha’s. He’s scared of them, Steve.”

“It’s our job to turn that around,” Steve says. He reaches over and kisses the corner of Tony’s mouth, and smiles when Tony pouts and looks at Steve. Steve grins, and kisses Tony on the lips once. “I love you.”

“Yeah, you fucking owe me for this, Rogers,” Tony grumbles, before pulling Steve into another kiss.

“Yeah?” Steve smirks. “Guess I’ll have to make it up to you later, won’t I?”

“Damn right,” Tony huffs. “All this because Captain America has to do the right thing. _Again_.”

****

Tony smiles when he walks into the tower with Steve, and instantly spots Pepper. She must finally be back from her week-long vacation. Tony’s missed, and not just because he’s had to take over for her while she was gone. Aside from the new omega business, he’s been stressed.

“Pepper!” Tony exclaims, rushing over to the omega and pulling her into a hug. “You’re back?”

Pepper laughs as she hugs Tony back, looking over at Steve with a grin. “Miss me?”

“I don’t know how you do it,” Tony says as he pulls away. “You must be a super woman of some sorts.”

“What was it you said before I left? Oh, that’s right. You said that it would be _easy_ ,” Pepper smirks. “But, we’re not here to talk about that. We’re here to talk about _that_ -” She points over at Agent Barton, who’s standing closely to Natasha, avoiding eye contact with anyone in the lobby.

Tony sighs as he stares at the omega. He can’t help but feel sorry for the omega. The omega has clearly been through a lot, all because he was introduced to the wrong alpha’s. Tony does want to help him, but he refuses to bond with an omega when he already has a perfectly good husband.

“Well,” Tony looks over at Steve. “Let’s go introduce ourselves.”

“Really? I- okay,” Steve says nervously, before following Tony over to Natasha, Agent Barton and Fury.

“Fancy seeing you here, Romanoff,” Tony says as he and Steve walk up to the group.

Clint instantly looks up when he hears a new voice. His eyes widen slightly, instantly knowing that these are the two alpha’s Fury has told him about, and he quickly steps closer to Natasha, grabbing her arm.

“Don’t worry,” Natasha says quickly, in a soft voice. “These are the good guys. You’re safe.”

“You say the sweetest things. I’m touched,” Tony says, placing a hand on his chest.

“Yeah, don’t let it get to your big head,” Natasha replies with a smirk, looking over at Tony.

Steve rolls his eyes fondly at the two, before looking over at Clint, and takes a deep breath. “Hi, I’m Steve, and you must be Clint. We’ve heard so much about you. Uh, good things… that is.”

“Smooth,” Tony snorts. “I apologize in advance for my idiot husband. I’m Tony. You’ll be staying with us.”

“Other people live in the tower with us. The Avengers. But, we’ll be taking care of you, and making sure that you have everything you need,” Steve adds. He looks over to Fury. “Is there anything else?”

“Just so you know, Agent Barton will still be active with SHIELD, and will be gone for long periods of time, but we’ll make sure to give you a heads up before we send him on missions,” Fury says. “Other than that, I think we’re all set. Agent Barton is officially in your care. Please take care of him.”

Natasha watches as Fury walks off, before looking over at Steve and Tony. “Fury likes to talk about Clint as if he’s not standing right next to him. We’d appreciate it if you tried not to do the same.”

“Yeah, I noticed that,” Steve says. “Don’t worry. We won’t do that.”

“See?” Natasha says as she gently nudges Clint, earning a playful glare from the omega, and Tony’s heart melts a little as he continues to watch the two interact with each other. “These are the good guys. Shall we go ahead and show Clint his new room?” She looks at Steve and Tony.

“I suppose we should,” Tony agrees, leading the way towards the elevator. “Jarvis, take us home.”

“Yes, Sir,”

Clint immediately looks up when he hears the voice speak, looking around to see where it’s coming from.

“Relax,” Natasha says softly. “It’s just Tony’s AI, Jarvis. He practically runs the building.”

“If you ever need help with anything, just ask Jarvis, and he’ll respond. He’ll help you find your way, and let you know all the do's-and-don'ts,” Tony adds, leaning against Steve as the elevator goes up.

“Will Clint be sharing a room with you and Tony?” Natasha asks curiously.

Tony and Steve glance at each other, before Tony answers, “we decided that even though he’ll be sharing our apartment with us, that he’ll have his own room, for privacy.”

“But, if, for whatever reason it may be, Clint wants to sleep in our bedroom with us, then we will let him. The options there,” Steve adds. “We want to respect Clint and make sure he has the privacy he needs.”

“Oh, and we left your bedroom a blank canvas. We wanted you to decorate it however you’d like, since you’re the one who’s going to be living in it,” Tony tells Clint. “There are no limits at the Avengers tower.” He looks up when the elevator door opens, and the four step out. They lead Clint to his bedroom.

Clint looks around, being stunned by the large room that now belongs to him. SHIELD never even gave him anything as big as this. There’s a bedroom on one side along with an en suite bathroom. There’s even a little kitchenette area. Clint’s never seen anything look so fancy, and it’s _his_ now.

“Guys,” Natasha begins, shaking Clint out of his thoughts. “Can you give us a minute?”

“I mean, yeah. Sure. Let us know when you’re done. We’d like to talk to Clint about some things too,” Tony begins. He glances over at Steve, grabs his hand, and then leads the way out of Clint’s bedroom.

Clint frowns as he watches the two of them leave, and then looks over at Natasha once the door is shut. “They’re really together? I mean, two alpha’s? How is that even…?”

“None of us understand it,” Natasha says. “But, they’re happy. I guess that’s all that matters.”

“Why am I here then? I thought I was… I don’t know… for _them_?” Clint asks.

“Fury wants them to bond with you. He thinks that it’ll be good for you if you have an alpha, or two. But, Tony’s being very stubborn about it, claiming he’s happy with Steve. I think he is. But, maybe he’ll realize that he needs an omega too. Give them a chance, Clint. Get to know them,” Natasha tries, her voice soft.

“I don’t need a damn alpha to take care of me,” Clint argues. “I’m doing f-”

“You’re not doing fine,dammit,” Natasha cuts him off, glaring at him. “You’re still having nightmares, Clint. You wake up screaming almost every night. Having an alpha around will help with that. They’ll be able to calm you and comfort you. Keep you from having those horrific panic attacks.”

“It’s stupid,” Clint growls. “You don’t need an alpha!”

“Well, no. I’m a beta. Most beta’s can get by on their own,” Natasha raises her eyebrows.

“You’re just about as fucked up as I am,” Clint huffs. “Don’t see Fury shoving an alpha down your throat. I’m sorry, _two_ alpha’s. Which makes this even more fucked up. I don’t wanna be a homewrecker!”

“It’s completely their choice if they want to bond with you. I don’t see it happening, but I guess we’ll see,” Natasha shrugs her shoulders. “Until then, I think you’ll be happier living here. There’s everything for you. There’s this incredible gym that we can train in together. I’m sure Tony will add some cool technology shit specifically for you in there. There’s movie nights where all the Avengers get together…”

“But, I’m not an Avenger?” Clint replies with a frown.

“That’s going to change. We could really use you on the team,” Natasha says with a smile.

Clint rolls his eyes. “I don’t really see that happening. But, whatever,”

“Quite being stubborn. Steve and Tony are nice guys. All you have to do is be their friend,” Natasha says. She walks over to the door and opens it, earning Steve and Tony’s attention. “You can come in. I’m done.”

“About time,” Tony says, walking into the bedroom again.

“Oh hush. I’m sure you two enjoyed a quick make out session,” Natasha replies with a smirk.

“We’re not that kind of couples,” Steve tries to defend, glaring at Natasha.

“Nice try. I don’t buy it for one second,” Natasha smirks as she looks at Steve, and then she looks at Clint. “You know where to find me if you need me.” She blows him a kiss before walking out of the bedroom.

“Alright,” Tony says once Natasha is gone. “We should set some ground rules.”

“Tony,” Steve warns when he sees Clint tense up.

“Oh, hush,” Tony rolls his eyes, and then he walks a few steps closer to Clint. “I just want to make it clear that you are not a prisoner. You have your own life, and we don’t care what you do. You’re not our omega, so you’re free to do whatever you want. We know you’ll be working with SHIELD, and Fury warned us that they would let us know ahead of time when they send you off on missions. But, if you do plan on being away for a long period of time, it would be nice if you gave us a little heads up.”

Steve nods. “Yeah, and you can do whatever you want when you’re here. Just respect the other people who also live here, then we’ll have absolutely no problems,” he says.

“I think it’s been quite an exciting day already. We’ll let you rest, and get settled in,” Tony adds softly.

Clint frowns, nervously looking up at the two alpha’s. They do seem nice, and oddly caring for people he’s never met before. He should trust them, but he’s been down this road before. Despite what Natasha says, he’s not ready to let his walls break down yet. “Y- You’re not going to ask me about my h- heat?”

Steve takes a deep breath. “We weren’t sure if you were comfortable talking about it,”

“Look, we’re two alpha’s, and we know it’s easier for an omega in heat if they have an alpha around. And, we’ll be more than happy to help you if you need it. We can discuss this later on. Send me a copy of your heat schedule, and when the time comes, we’ll figure something out. That sound good?”

Clint slowly nods, relieved the alpha’s aren’t trying to control his heat, like many other alpha’s have done.

“Alright. You have our numbers. Call us if you need anything, or ask Jarvis if you have any questions. He’s always awake,” Steve tells Clint. “Rest.” He sends Clint a friendly smile before grabbing Tony’s hand and then he leads the way out of the bedroom, leaving Clint alone by himself for the first time.

Tony and Steve don’t bother Clint for the rest of the night, wanting to give him time and space.

It isn’t until around three in the morning when Jarvis interrupts Steve and Tony’s late night make out session that Clint is having a nightmare. Steve pulls apart from Tony, panting. “What was that, Jarvis?”

“Mr. Barton is having a nightmare, Sirs. It might do well if you make sure he’s alright,” Jarvis tells him.

“Shit,” Tony groans, flipping the blankets off and jumping out of the bed. “Come on. Let’s go.”

Steve can’t help but smile a little, happy that Tony is so willing to comfort the omega when before he was so against having an omega share their living space. Steve jumps out of bed as well and follows Tony to Clint’s bedroom. As they get closer to the omega, they can hear screaming.

“That’s not good,” Steve comments before pushing the door open. They walk into the bedroom and see Clint thrashing around on his bed, clearly having a horrific nightmare. “Clint.” He hurries over to the bed, reaching over to touch the omega. “Clint, come on. Wake up, sweetheart. You’re having a nightmare.”

“Fury never said anything about nightmares,” Tony speaks up.

“Should have expected, given everything we know about him,” Steve says. “Clint. Clint!”

Clint whimpers, shaking his head. “No!”

“Clint! Wake up!” Steve shouts louder, grabbing onto the omega to try and shake him awake.

Clint gasps, and bolts into a sitting position, eyes wide with terror. He takes deep breaths, looking around.

“Clint? You’re okay. You’re safe. You’re at Avengers tower,” Steve tries to bring him back to reality.

Clint looks over at Steve, eyes still wide and breathing heavily. “Wh- What?”

“I’ll get him some water. Stay with him,” Tony says, before leaving the bedroom.

“You had a nightmare,” Steve informs Clint. “Jarvis informed us, and then we heard you screaming. Absolutely terrifying. Do you want to talk about it?”

Clint shakes his head instantly, still not saying anything.

“It’s okay. We can talk when you’re ready. Just take a deep breath. You’re safe,” Steve tries to assure him. He goes to touch Clint, but instantly pulls away when Clint flinches away, not wanting to scare the omega, or have the omega thinking he’s untrusting. He looks over when Tony returns with a glass of water.

“Here,” Tony says as he hands Clint the glass of water.

Steve glances at Tony, and then he watches as Clint takes a small drink of water. “I know how you feel,” Steve says softly. “I get nightmares all the time, maybe not as often as you, but…”

“I don’t need your pity,” Clint mumbles, looking down.

“I’m not trying to pity you, Clint,” Steve defends, before letting out a sigh. “Sorry. I’m letting you know that you don’t have to go through this alone. There are people around you who are more than willing to help, even if you may not want it. Sometimes help is good. We’re here for you, whenever you need us to be.”

“Should we get Natasha? Maybe she might be better for you?” Tony suggests.

“No!” Clint gasps, startling Tony and Steve. “N- No, please. Don’t- Don’t bother Natasha. It’s too late, a- and she doesn’t need to see me like this. No one needs to see me like this. I’m fine. It’s just a nightmare,” Clint whimpers, the sound breaking Steve’s heart. He wants nothing more than to comfort the omega, but he knows that he can’t do that unless Clint gives him permission, and trusts him.

“Okay. We’ll stay here,” Steve says. “Until you fall asleep. We don’t have to talk or anything. We’ll just… be here. Because, we want to make sure you’ll be comfortable enough to go back to sleep.”

So, Steve and Tony stay with Clint. Steve making himself comfortable on the bed while Tony settles himself down on the chair in the corner of Clint’s room. Clint slowly sinks back down onto the bed, somehow oddly feeling safe with the two alpha’s in the room, although he’d never admit that out loud. Natasha would never let him live it down if she ever found out.

Steve and Tony leave as soon as Clint falls asleep again, still wanting to give the omega his space.

“That went… well?” Tony says quietly as the two shut the door behind them.

“Yeah, that was a good start, but we still have a long way to go,” Steve says, looking over at his husband.


	2. Chapter 2

Clint’s been living at the Avengers tower for six months. Steve and Tony are _slowly_ making some progress with him, although they definitely don’t fully have his trust. Both alpha's knew it would be a long time before Clint has their full trusts. Clint trusts Steve more than Tony, but that’s because Tony doesn't put the same amount of effort to get to know Clint as Steve.

Until one night, when Clint finds himself standing outside of Tony’s lab, where he has learned that Tony spends a lot of time in his lab. Steve always complains about how much time Tony spends in the lab rather than spending time with him or anyone else. Clint can understand how frustrating that can be.

“Jarvis?” Clint asks quietly, glancing up at the ceiling. “Can you…?”

“Certainly. One moment Sir,”

…

“Sir, Agent Barton is standing outside your lab, asking for permission to come in,” Jarvis informs Tony.

“What?” Tony asks, looking up from his current project. He’s been making new arrows for Clint, as Clint has been joining them on more Avenger missions, and Tony wants nothing but the best for his team. “Uh, okay. Let him in I guess. Shit. What is he doing awake at three in the morning?”

“I asked you the same thing twenty minutes ago, Sir,”

Tony scoffs. “Okay, I didn’t ask for your attitude, Jarvis,” he grumbles, looking over when the door opens and Clint walks into the lab. “Clint. What are you doing down here? Shouldn’t you be asleep?”

Clint hesitates before responding, “shouldn’t you be asleep too?”

“Okay, I already have Jarvis and Steve down my neck about my sleeping schedule. I don't need you too,” Tony huffs. “Is there something I can do for you?”

“I- I had a nightmare,” Clint tells him, 

“Don’t you usually go to Steve for this sort of stuff?” Tony asks, frowning.

“Steve’s asleep, like a normal human being. Jarvis said you were awake, so I… came down here,” Clint says.

“Well, I’m not so good at the comforting thing. But, maybe I can help get your mind off of whatever nightmare you had. Come and take a look at your new arrows. I’m just doing the finishing touches,” Tony says.

“What? You’re making me new arrows?” Clint asks, his ears perking up. He walks over to Tony’s desk, and his eyes widen when he sees how much fancier and how much _cooler_ these new arrows are compared to the ones he’s been using from SHIELD. “You made these?”

“I make everyone’s equipment on the Avengers team. Aside from Cap’s shield. That was Howard's doing,” Tony tells him. “I want nothing for the best for my team, and since Cap has officially deemed you an Avenger…”

Clint hesitates, before looking over at Tony. “You don’t seem very… happy?”

“About what?” Tony asks, looking up at Clint. “About you being an Avenger? No. You’re a great asset to the team. We’ve been so much better since you’ve been going on missions with us. I’m perfectly okay with Steve making you an official member, and I’m sorry if I made it seem like I wasn’t.”

Clint slowly nods, and looks over at the arrows again. “Can I…?”

Tony nods, gently leaning back in his chair, watching as Clint reaches over to run his fingers over the arrows. “I’ll be finished with them later on today. You can test them out if you want, when I’m finished,”

“Yeah. Th- That would be nice. I would like to.” It’s silent for a moment, before Clint speaks again quietly. “My heat is coming up.” He nervously looks over at Tony. “It’s been six months…”

Tony takes a deep breath. “Way to spring that on someone,” he mumbles.

“I- I’m sorry. I-” Clint frowns, taking a step back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”

“Barton, relax,” Tony warns softly. “I’ll talk to Steve after his morning. We’ll figure something out.” Although, Tony has a feeling one of the two of them will most likely have to help Clint through his heat. Tony’s not comfortable being with an omega, and he’d really not want his husband being with one either, he knows Steve will end up helping him. The two have been bonding, and Steve would be more comfortable helping Clint. Tony’s fear of losing his husband to an omega is slowly coming to a reality. “Um, well, it’s getting late. You should get back to sleep. We’ll talk in the morning.”

****

During breakfast, Tony makes himself a simple bagel with cream cheese, waiting for Steve to come back.

“You’re up. Good morning,” Steve greets, walking over to Tony. He walks behind him, placing his hands on Tony’s arms and kissing his cheek. He frowns when he feels Tony tense suddenly, which is unlike him. “Hey. What’s wrong? Why are you so tense?”

“Clint mentioned his heat,” Tony mumbles, staring down at the untouched bagel on the counter.

“Oh. It’s coming up, isn’t it?” Steve breathes. “What did you say to him? Did you talk to him about it?”

“No. I only told him that I would talk to you,” Tony tells him. “But, we both know that you’re going to be the one to help him through it. I’m not comfortable with it. You are. So, you’re going to help him.”

“Tony, you can say no. You know I won’t do it if you don’t want me to,” Steve tries to assure him.

“And let you feel guilty about not helping him?” Tony scoffs. “I’m not that cruel.”

“Tony,” Steve frowns, turning the alpha around so they’re facing each other. “Tell me no, and I won’t help Clint through his heat. Just say the word, and that’s all it’ll take.”

Tony takes a deep breath. “Just promise you’ll come back to me?” He asks. “When it’s over?”

“You know I will. I swear I will,” Steve promises him, leaning forward to kiss Tony. “You’re my best guy, and no omega will ever change that. Is that what you’re worried about?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Tony mumbles, turning back around.

“Tony,” Steve warns. “We’ve been together for how long? Married for two years? You honestly think that I’ll leave you for an omega I’ve only known for six months? I love _you_ , Tony. God. I mean, of course I care about Clint, but not in the same way I care about you.”

“Bullshit, Steve. That’s bullshit and you know it,” Tony scoffs, shaking his head as tears suddenly well up in his eyes. “Nothing beats an alpha and omega bond, and I know that you’ve been spending more time with him. Every time I ask Jarvis where you are, you’re with _him_.”

“Well maybe if you didn’t spend every waking moment in that stupid lab of yours, I’d-”

Tony quickly turns back around, looking up at Steve with anger. “Don’t put the blame on me!” He shouts, angrily jabbing a finger at Steve’s chest. “This has nothing to do with what I do in my lab. I fucking knew that you would ending up forming a bond with the omega the second Fury brought it up, because that’s just who you are, Steve. You and you’re stupid, perfect fucking self. Let’s be real here. We all know that I’m going to end up losing you to Clint. No matter what I do.”

“Tony, that’s not-” Steve frowns as he watches Tony grab his plate and storms off. Steve lets out a sigh. “Jarvis, inform me when Clint has gone into heat.”

“Yes Sir,” Jarvis responds right away, earning a sigh of relief from Steve.

Steve looks over when he hears more footsteps approaching, and then he sees Natasha standing in the kitchen doorway. “Shit. How much of that did you hear?”

“Enough,” Natasha tells him, walking into the kitchen. “You should talk to Tony. Don’t let him shut you out.”

Steve scoffs. “We all know how Tony is. Once his mind is made up…”

“Steve, you can’t let your relationship be ruined over this. Trust me. This is exactly what Clint didn’t want. He didn’t want to be a homewrecker,” Natasha tells him.

“I never planned on caring so much about Clint. I thought he’d just be… another person living in the tower. But then, we got to talking one day. God, that omega has been through so much shit.”

“Language,” Natasha warns, a smirking forming on his face.

Steve glares at her, before letting out a sigh. “And, I care about him. Really, I do. Clint means a lot to me. But, I don’t love him. Not like I love Tony,”

“Maybe you should try to get Tony to see how wonderful Clint is. Then, talk to Tony about adding Clint to your relationship. I’m starving to agree with Fury. An omega would be good for the two of you,” she says.

“Tony would never agree to such a thing,” Steve says, frowning. “But, I’m not going to lose Tony so easily. I’m helping Clint with his heat, and that’s it. Nothing more, and nothing less. Tony is my top priority.”

“It’s a shame. Clint could use an alpha like you, and Tony. He seems happier now since he’s met you,” Natasha says, shrugging her shoulders before grabbing an apple out of the fruit bowl.

“Hey, quit trying to guilt trip me,” Steve warns. “You know how important Tony is to me.”

“I know. You’re right, Steve. I’m sorry. But, just think about it,” Natasha begs, before walking away.

“Fuck,” Steve grumbles, running a hand over his face.

Steve doesn’t see Tony for the rest of the day, though he wants to give him some space to calm down before he tries talking to him again. He wants to be able to talk to Tony properly.

It isn’t until two days later when Jarvis finally informs Steve Clint has officially started his heat, however, Steve has been sent on a mission for SHIELD with Natasha and Sam that would require him to be absent for the entirety of Clint’s heat. Steve knows Tony is going to be upset with him.

“What do you want?” Tony asks when he answers the phone, Steve calling him.

“Don’t hate me,” Steve begins. “Clint’s started his heat and I’m not there to help him.”

Tony instantly drops the pen he had in his hands, his eyes widening. “What do you mean you’re not here to help him? We agreed you would be the one to help him. What the hell, Steve?”

“I’m sorry, but Fury sent me on a mission. I won’t be back for a week. I didn’t have time to say goodbye,”

“ _Bullshit_. Fury’s doing this on fucking purpose!” Tony shouts, slamming his fist on the table. “I’m not going near that omega. Where’s Natasha? Don’t tell me she’s with you.”

Steve lets out a sigh. “She’s beside me,” he mumbles. “So’s Sam. I’m sorry, Tony. I-”

“I’m not doing it, Steve. Clint can suffer on his own for all I fucking care about,” Tony growls.

“Tony,” Steve warns. “You don’t mean that. I know you’re not that cruel., Tony, why do you hate omegas?”

“I don’t _hate_ omegas,” Tony snaps. “If I hated omegas, would I have allowed one in my home? No. Excuse me for having a preference. Didn’t know that was a crime.”

“Tony, it’s not. You’re allowed to have preferences. It’s just… you never really told me why you’ve never been with an omega. It’s always been alpha’s and beta’s for you,” Steve says.

“We can talk about it later,” Tony mumbles. “When you get home.”

“So, you’ll help Clint through his heat? Natasha says she’ll punch your throat when she gets home if you make him suffer through his heat alone. Tony, I really don't want that to happen to you,” Steve says.

Tony rolls his eyes at the sincerity in Steve’s voice. “I’m not helping him in the way you want me to, but I’ll make sure that he’s being taken care of. I’m sorry for what I said about him suffering alone,” he mumbles.

“It’s okay, Tony. Thank you for offering to look after him, at least. It’s better than nothing,” Steve says. “But, you have my permission to do more than that. I won’t be mad.”

“Not going to happen. Keep me updated, and try not to get killed,” Tony says.

Steve snorts. “Thanks for the pep talk, babe,” he says. “I gotta go. Love you, bye.”

“Be safe!” Tony warns before hanging up the phone. He sighs as he leans back in his chair, thinking. “Jarvis, where is Barton?” He stands up from the chair.

“Mr. Barton is in his room, Sir,” Jarvis responds.

Tony runs a hand over his face as he lets out a sigh of frustration, and then he storms out of his lab, grumbling curse words under his breath towards his husband. Steve so owes him for this.

Tony finally makes his way up to Clint’s apartment after trying to talk himself out of doing what he’s about to do. He hasn’t seen the omega since Clint came down to his lab after his nightmare.

Tony takes a deep breath before pushing Clint’s bedroom door open. He’s not even taken a step inside and he’s instantly hit with the strong smell of omega in heat, and he absolutely hates it. Tony curses quietly to himself before walking in. He looks up and sees Clint curled up in his bed, shaking.

“You shouldn’t fight it,”

Clint immediately shoots up, prepared to defend himself. He looks up and his eyes widen with shock when he sees Tony. He’d been expecting Steve, and certainly not Tony.

“Unfortunately for both of us, my husband is needed for a SHIELD mission,” Tony begins to explain. “Which means that I’m stuck to help you through this heat. I’m gonna make myself very clear though, Barton. I’m doing this because even I don’t like to see an omega suffer. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Clint stares at him, breathing heavily. “Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to fuck me?”

“Shit,” Tony hisses, before ripping his shirt off, walking over to the bed and kneeling down on it, and then crawling over to Clint, and quickly pulling him in for a bruising kiss. They kiss for a moment before Tony finally pulls away, breathing heavily. “I can’t give you my knot. I’m sorry. I won’t risk getting you pregnant. But, I’ll help in any way that I can to make this heat easier for you. Okay?”

Clint stares at him with disappointment, but nods in understanding anyways. “Yes, Sir,”

“Don’t call me Sir,” Tony says, before pushing Clint down on his back and climbing on top of him.

****

Clint’s heat lasts a total of five days. Tony stays throughout the whole heat, surprising both himself and Clint. Tony felt too guilty leaving Clint at all. Spending five whole days with Clint like that, and he already feels so much closer to the omega. He’s been avoiding it this whole time.

When Steve finally returns at the end of Clint’s heat, he surprisingly finds his husband snuggled up in the bed with Clint, the omega resting his head on Tony’s chest, sound asleep.

Steve smiles fondly as he watches the pair, leaning against the doorway of Clint’s bedroom.

Tony looks up when he feels a new presence in the room, exhaustion in his eyes. He glares when he sees the look on Steve’s face. “Don’t,” he warns. “Don’t even say anything.”

Steve chuckles. “How’d it go?” He asks. “Assuming it went well.”

“Obviously,” Tony rolls his eyes. “This doesn’t mean anything, Steve. I’m just being a good alpha.”

“Why can’t you just give him a chance, Tony? He might be good for us,” Steve says quietly, not wanting to wake the sleeping omega. “Everybody can see it but you. You’re being stubborn, as usual.”

“We’re not talking about this right now. Clint’s asleep,” Tony hisses. “Don’t give me that stupid look.”

Steve snorts, and then he stands up, and then walks over to Tony and kisses him softly. “We’ll talk later. Just wanted to let you know that I’m back from the mission,” he says.

“Mission went well, then? Did you get the bad guys?” Tony asks, looking up at Steve tiredly.

“Yeah,” Steve chuckles. “We got the bad guys, babe. Of course we did. You need to rest. Come find me in the morning.” He leans forward and presses a kiss to Tony’s forehead, and smiles softly at the two before turning and walking out of the bedroom, leaving Tony alone with the omega once again.

Clint stirs a little, letting out a small whine.

“Shh, you’re alright. Go back to sleep,” Tony whispers, pulling the blanket up to keep Clint covered.

In the morning, Tony wakes up and he immediately goes to find Steve. He finds him making breakfast. Tony immediately walks up to him, wrapping his arms around Steve tightly. “‘M sorry,”

“Shit, Tony,” Steve lets out a breath, and gently wraps an arm around Tony. “Sorry for what?”

“For what I said to you the last time we talked. I let my anger get the best of me and I took it out on you. When we have a chance, I’d like to talk to you about Clint,” Tony says, looking up at Steve.

Steve instantly beams at Tony’s words, and leans down to kiss Tony. “Thank you,”

“Yeah. Whatever. Can I have my husband back now?” Tony asks, pouting as he leans against Steve.

Steve snorts. “You never lost me to begin with, but sure Tony,” he says, pulling Tony into a warm hug.

** A Year Later **

“ _Clint’s hit_!”

Panic instantly rises in Tony as soon as he hears the words come out of Natasha’s mouth.

“ _What the hell do you mean Clint’s hit?_ ” Tony hears Steve ask, seeming just as panicked as he is. Natasha doesn’t answer, and Tony assumes she’s busy taking care of Clint. At least, he hopes she is.

Ever since Clint’s officially bonded with Tony and Clint a year ago, the two alpha’s have been extremely protective of him. The two alpha’s quickly learn that Clint likes to be reckless during Avenger missions, and they know it’s because Clint feels like he has to prove himself to the team.

Tony never thought he would ever be bonded with an omega, especially after marrying Steve Rogers, but here he is now. But, he doesn’t regret it. So, Nick Fury was right about having an omega, and he absolutely hated hearing the ‘ _I told you so_ ’ from Nick when they told him about bonding with Clint.

“ _Romanoff. Answer me. What’s going on with Clint?_ ”

“ _Clint’s hit pretty bad, guys. We’re gonna need evac, and can someone please take care of that bunker?_ ” Natasha asks. She pauses for a second. “ _Thank you. We need to get Clint to the quinjet. I'm gonna need some help over here._ ”

“ _Tony, where are you?_ ” Steve asks.

“ _I’m closing in_ ,” Tony replies instantly. “ _Where’s Thor? Get him to Clint. We’ll take care of the scepter._ ”

“ _Roger that_ ,”

Steve looks around, and then he spots Thor, and instantly rushes over to him.

“I can get Barton to the jet. You and Stark get the scepter,” Thor says when he sees Steve.

“Great. Uh, yeah, thanks Thor. Glad we’re all on the same page. Take care of our omega,” Steve says, before taking off again. “ _We leave that omega alone for five minutes and he injures himself. Honestly._ ”

Tony snorts. “ _This is Clint we’re talking about, Cap. Are you really that surprised?_ ”

“ _I know. We really need to have a talk with him when we get home. Let’s just focus on the scepter for now,_ ”

Tony lets out a sigh. He has no idea how he's supposed to focus on the scepter when his omega is injured and he's not there to comfort him. Sure, Clint's in good hands with Natasha and Thor, but that won't stop Tony from worrying about him. “ _It’s going to be a long fucking day,_ ”


End file.
